Kenneth Jay Lane

Michigan-born Kenneth Jay Lane graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1954 and moved to New York for a stint as a Vogue art director. Inspired by the fashion and products he saw, he began working on his own creations. He first began designing shoes, working on collections for Delman and Christian Dior, embellishing shoes with rhinestones and playing with ideas for jewelry. Before long, his collections were being sold in boutiques across Manhattan and being worn by royalty and movie stars; his designs were proof that costume jewelry could be as beautiful as the “real thing.” Kenneth’s pieces are now extremely sought-after and collectable, with vintage pieces often selling at auction houses. He continues to design elegant, innovative, and imaginative pieces and has earned a place in fashion history as the “King of Costume Jewelry.”